


trivial pursuits

by caesarions



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Domestic Fluff, Frumpkin is an Emotional Support Animal (Critical Role), M/M, Married Life, Professors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24110899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caesarions/pseuds/caesarions
Summary: Caleb and Essek are two happily married professors in their respective fields of magic. When Caleb is asked to teach a class in Essek's specialty, much teasing ensues.(written for shadowgast week day 2: modern AU // books)
Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 9
Kudos: 237
Collections: Shadowgast Week 2020





	trivial pursuits

“ _Scheiße_.”

“What is it, dear?” 

One shuffle of papers later, Essek peeked over at Caleb with his mug in his other hand. After his own office hours were over, he always retreated to Caleb’s office, essays to grade and tea for two in hand.

“Come, look.”

Caleb turned his monitor towards where Essek sat on the leather couch along the wall, framed by the red velvet sunlight dampeners. The corner of the screen almost clipped Frumpkin, where the cat lay in his ever-present bed on Caleb’s desk, behind his plaque that read _Frumpkin, Associate Professor of Transmutation_ _._ Caleb scratched him behind the ear in an apology. 

Essek set his papers down, careful of the eclectic cat figurines on the coffee table. He stood up and moved to read the email over Caleb’s shoulder, sipping audibly.

“Oh, you poor soul,” the drow giggled, using his free hand to squeeze Caleb’s shoulder affectionately. “Intro to Dunamancy 110?”

“ _Ja_ , why would they ask _me_ to teach dunamancy next semester?” Covering Essek’s hand with his own, Caleb pouted up at him.

“Well, I personally have Theories of Timelines at the same… time, ha, that they have listed.” Shrugging, Essek sighed, “I see no problem with you teaching it. Everyone else in my department is positively senile.”

Caleb still huffed, “Teaching outside of our school of magic should go against university policy.”

“Caleb, you understand every school of magic.” Laughing, Essek leaned down further to rest his elbow on Caleb’s shoulder and bat his eyelashes at Caleb. “Did our thesis on dunamancy mean nothing to you?”

“Oh, grad school was a very long time ago, _schatz_.” Already wracking his brain as to how he would approach the class, Caleb continued petting Frumpkin and tapping his pen on the desk.

“Humans have such an interesting definition of time.” Essek frowned. “It has not been that long. I know I—”

“Look just as good as you did back then, _ja_.” Caleb craned his neck to kiss Essek’s cheek, although he still sat deep in thought. “Since it’s your school, I would hate to do wrong by my husband.”

“Good thing that is statistically impossible.” Scoffing, Essek stood straight and put a hand on his hip. “Besides, the students will be ever so grateful, because _I_ will not be the one grading them.” 

Caleb spared a glance for Essek’s papers on the coffee table, covered in an impressive, yet aggressive, amount of red pen. 

While he looked away, Essek had reached into his components pouch for a pinch of gold dust, which disappeared into a glyph just as Caleb’s pen froze in his hand. 

“What an expensive joke,” Caleb said, smiling despite himself. He left the pen hanging in the air to cross his arms instead. “But _ja_ , sure, I get to lull them into a false sense of security, so you can eat them alive in the 300 classes.” 

When Essek hid a toothy grin in his mug, Caleb used the hand furthest from Essek to complete the same spell. With a knowing flit of his ears, Essek stepped back, and the mug stood still in the air at an angle.

“See, you are an expert! And not above a little joke yourself, either.” Still smiling, a laugh bubbled up from Essek as well. “And, you would be correct. It would be nothing that young adults do not deserve.”

Essek released the spell on the pen, and it clattered onto the floor. After his ears perked to attention, Frumpkin jumped out of his bed to retrieve it.

“Now, you’re putting my cat to work,” Caleb joined in with a chuckle. 

“Oh, Frumpkin deserves it, too,” Essek winked. He bent down to allow Frumpkin to jump into his arms. Cooing over Frumpkin and scratching his head, Essek took the pen from his mouth to set it on Caleb’s desk. “Frumpkin barely does any teaching these days.”

“ _Ja_ , because I have to bribe him with more and more treats to get him to agree to changing his form in class.”

Moving around the mug floating in space—which he didn’t release the spell yet, for obvious reasons—Caleb stood in front of his ancient oak bookshelves, which took up most of the space in his office. He dragged a finger along the shelves until he found the deep purple cover he was looking for.

“ _Liebchen_ , do you use your book in 110?” Caleb asked Essek, pulling out his own well-worn copy, a menagerie of post-it notes sticking out.

“Gods above, no,” Essek huffed incredulously. He turned to Caleb, still cradling Frumpkin. “There is nothing in there that a beginner should touch. Unless they were anything like you, of course.”

After slotting it back in, which was obviously a few books too full, Caleb scratched at his head. “Is there a book you’d recommend instead?”

“I always braved it alone. Again, all senile.”

“Oh, boy. I guess I’ll almost have written my own by the end of next semester.”

Essek beamed at him, pleased as punch. “Professor Widogast, School of Dunamancy.”

Caleb grinned back. “Oh, but that’s _your_ title.”

After a summer complete with their annual trip to Nicodranas, more red than tan, Caleb stood at the front of a lecture hall. Frumpkin sat atop the wooden podium, his tail twitching in interest. 

“ _Hallo_ , everyone, _willkommen_. I am Professor Widogast,” he nodded towards everyone present before the time could strike 10:01. “My school is normally transmutation, as some of you are already aware. But, I have it on good authority that I know what I’m doing here, too.”

He smiled.

“However, my husband knows far more about dunamancy than me. If you take an upper-level dunamancy course with him, just know, he is very scary.”

There were a few worried glances back and forth.

“This is my cat, Frumpkin. He is very friendly, so don’t be afraid if he comes up to you,” Caleb motioned towards Frumpkin, which moved into giving him another pet. He was, of course, spoiled beyond belief. “Unless he comes up to you while you’re taking a test. That spells trouble for you.”

Caleb felt a little nefarious, much like Essek’s grading and the permanent alarm spell around his K-Cups of choice in his department’s waiting room, when he scared a class with his familiar right off the bat.

“There is a textbook for this class, but my husband doesn’t recommend it, so…” Caleb stopped and shrugged. “ _Ja_ , just turn to the next page in the syllabus. I’ll explain the rest.”

He had completed the basics of the syllabus and launched into an impromptu history lesson of dunamancy when a knock came at the door. There were about ten minutes left in the fifty-minute class. Leaning forward on the table he rested against, Caleb could see Essek’s face through the glass before Essek let himself in.

“Well, fancy seeing you here, stranger.” Essek pushed a white hair out of his face as he let out a deep breath. His chest still heaved a bit, parasol at his side.

Caleb raised his eyebrows. “Did you run here across campus?”

“ _No_ _._ ” Essek pursed his lips and gave Caleb a withering look.

“You at least let your class out early,” the human said knowingly.

“Yes, well, that will be the only time this semester, so fortune favors them today,” Essek huffed. Clearing his throat, he steepled his hands and walked further into the classroom. “What about you? How is your first dunamancy class going?”

“It was going well,” Caleb inclined his head towards Essek, “but now I’m going to feel self-conscious lecturing on your school in front of you, _liebling_.”

With a dismissive hand motion, Essek interrupted quickly, “Oh, no, no, no. This is merely for my own morbid curiosity. It’s like I’m not even here.”

With that, Essek floated up the small incline towards the back of the room. Caleb rolled his eyes fondly. Any confused glances between students that didn’t know of their relationship from Caleb’s Intro to Transmutation class turned to awe as Essek went.

Using his keen sense of time, Caleb came to a natural stopping point in the history with thirty seconds to spare. Some students had been taking notes furiously, their brows knit in concern. Most had given up within the first few minutes, and others had never started at all. Caleb doubted most of it would ever appear on a test, or even in class again, but he found it interesting.

“ _Ja_ , that’s it. No homework yet, I have to figure that out. You’re free to go.”

Still confused, although not nearly as much as if Essek was teaching the class, the students started filtering out of the classroom. Caleb moved behind the podium to lavish Frumpkin with attention in apology for ignoring him. Most people offered him polite goodbyes and thank yous before going about the rest of their day.

One student caught Caleb’s attention. They moved against the grain, heading towards the back of the room where Essek still floated. Caleb tried to be polite as well, still focused on Frumpkin. But, a knowing grin grew on his face, and he continued to watch them approach Essek out of the corner of his eye.

“Excuse me, hi,” Caleb could hear them say over the low din of people packing up and leaving. “You teach the upper-level dunamancy courses, right?”

“The good ones, anyway.”

Caleb stifled a laugh.

“Great! Well, I just wanted to introduce myself.” They stepped closer, and Caleb saw Essek’s shoulders bunch up. They kept rambling on, and when they held out a hand, Essek shook it delicately with a shaky smile. “I just can’t wait to take a class with you.”

“Yes, well…” Making eye contact with Caleb from across the room, Essek turned a brighter smile to him. “You are in good hands when it comes to my husband.”

**Author's Note:**

> if i think about caleb saying he wanted to be a teacher when they were in front of the soltryce academy for too long i have a breakdown. but that's why everything is fine and dandy in this au.
> 
> i hope you enjoyed! comments/kudos always appreciated!


End file.
